India, China to witness high growth of multiple sclerosis in 10 yrs: GlobalData

Morampudi continues, "With less availability of diagnostic MRI technology in China and India, compared with western countries, case ascertainment in these countries is not as precise. Less accurate case diagnosis can result in diseases, such as neuromyelitis optica, being misclassified as MS, and may have resulted in an overestimation of the latter's incidence in China and India."

Low MS prevalence proportions in these countries could also be related to the genetic makeup of these populations, as MS is more commonly diagnosed in Caucasians than individuals of any other race/ethnicity. This is even the case in western countries where MRI technology is widely available.